A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed, well over 14 million every year. This treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for dental implants or a dental bridge.
At the center of your tooth is the pulp. Pulp is a collection of nerve tissue, blood vessels and other cells that help to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature which leads to a toothache, or constant pain in the tooth and gums.
If you experience any of these symptoms, Dr. Spencer and Dr. Rabheru will most likely recommend non-surgical treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This can often be completed in one visit depending on the difficulty of the canal system within the tooth. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 90% of cases. If the chance of success is unfavourable, you will be informed either at the time of consultation or when a complication becomes evident during treatment.
For patients, root canal therapy is one of the most feared procedures in all of dentistry. However, with long-acting anaesthetics, pain medication, and antibiotics prescribed where necessary, many patients report root canal treatment to be relatively painless.
After receiving a root canal, the tooth should be protected with a crown that covers the cusps of the tooth. Otherwise, over the years the tooth will almost certainly fracture, since root canals remove tooth structure and undermine structural integrity. Also, root canal teeth tend to be more brittle than teeth not treated with root canal therapy. This is commonly due to the fact that the blood supply to the tooth, which nourishes and hydrates the tooth structure, is removed during the root canal procedure, leaving the tooth without a source of moisture replenishment.
The cost associated with this procedure can vary depending on factors such as the severity of damage to the affected tooth and which tooth is affected. In general, root canal therapy is much less expensive than tooth removal and replacement with an artificial tooth.
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Spencer Dentistry, PC
Address: 1065 Valetta Street • London, ON N6H 2Z9 • Phone: 519-474-2626
Dr Kari Spencer and Dr Rena Rabheru, your London Dentists, focus on Preventative, Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry. We provide dental crowns, dental bridges, tooth fillings, tooth extractions, and dental implants, as well as cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and porcelain veneers.
Spencer Dentistry serves London, Ontario and surrounding communities including Kilworth ON, Komoka ON, Ilderton ON,
Delaware ON, Mount Brydges ON, and Strathroy ON.